Maine Excellence in Arts Education Celebration

Maine Arts Commission to honor Excellence in Arts Education

The Maine Arts Commission will honor nine schools – nine visual art educators – 36 students for their artwork – 158 students for their music – two music educators at the Maine State House with a special reception with First Lady Ann LePage in the Hall of Flags, December 11, 2:00 p.m.

Marshwood Middle School is recognizing their students in the arts with this sign outside their school!

Starting December 1, 2018 through April 2019, the Arts Commission is featuring an art exhibit of 45 pieces that will include for the first time ever, student work combined with their respective art teacher’s work. The student art exhibit is being showcased throughout the State House Capitol building, the Burton M. Cross building, and the offices of the Maine Arts Commission. Additionally, each student artist and their families are invited to the Hall of Flags for a special reception on December 11, starting at 2 p.m. The reception includes student performances and a certificate ceremony with First Lady Ann LePage.

Acrylic painting by grade 8 student Lydia Phipps, Marshwood Middle School

“The Maine Arts Commission believes it is essential for every student to have access to a quality and comprehensive visual and performing arts education,” said Julie Richard, Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission. “The arts let’s students develop the critical thinking, collaborative, and creative skills necessary to succeed in the ever changing diverse and global economies of today’s world. “

The following schools, teachers and 4 students from each school will be honored and featured in the student exhibit:

• Gorham Middle School, Teacher: Amy Cousins
• Hancock Grammar School, Teacher: Jane Snider
• Jonesport Elementary and Jonesport Beals High School, Teacher: Lisa Marin
• Marshwood Middle School, Eliot, Teacher: Melanie Crowe
• Maranacook Middle School, Readfield, Teacher: Hope Lord
• Oxford Hills High School, South Paris, Teacher: Cindi Kugell
• Brewer High School, Teacher: Lori Spruce
• Richmond Middle School and High School, Teacher: Jeff Orth
• Waterville High School, Teacher: Suzanne Goulet

“Great Third Hill” created by Marshwood Middle School art teacher Melanie Crowe

Two choruses will be recognized and performing at the celebration. Seventy five students will be traveling from Sedomocha School in Dover-Foxcroft with their music teacher Kaitlin Young. Traveling from Marshwood Middle School in Eliot will be seventy five students with their music teacher Kris Bisson. Their programs will highlight their amazing students and a collaborative project that Kris’ students participated with teaching artist Brian Evans-Jones.

All of the teachers involved are teacher leaders in the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative, a program of the Maine Arts Commission.

The reception is open to the public on Tuesday, December 11, 2:00 p.m.

For more information about the Maine Excellence in Arts Education please contact Argy Nestor, Director of Arts Education at 207-287-2713, argy.nestor@maine.gov.

For more information about the Maine Arts Commission’s programs and services, please visit www.MaineArts.com; follow the agency on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or contact the offices at 207-287-2724.

 

Excellence in VPA Education

Call for student artwork

First Lady Ann LePage with a young artist at the Excellence celebration on December 21, 2016

For over ten years, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the Maine Arts Commission have been fortunate to celebrate arts education by hosting rotating student art exhibits. During the past two years Beth Lambert from the Maine DOE and I have worked together on this collaboration which celebrates the excellence of students in visual and performing arts education in Maine.

The rotating exhibits are displayed throughout the State House complex and in the Department of Education. Each exhibit features art work from three districts from three superintendent regions. Each district provides 21 pieces representing student art from grades PK-12. During the period students’ artwork is displayed, the artists and their families will be invited to the Hall of Flags in Augusta for a Celebration of Excellence in Visual and Performing Arts Education reception. Each student is recognized by the First Lady of Maine Ann LePage for their accomplishments. The reception will feature performances from the districts represented in the art show.

Under the direction of music teacher Cynthia Streznewski, musicians from Woolwich Central School perform at the State House for the celebration on December 21.

In order to have equitable representation we are seeking artwork from the superintendents regions of York, Mid-coast, Western Maine, and Aroostook. Please consider submitting your students’ artwork. The exhibition guidelines are located at https://mainearts.maine.gov/CMSContent/arts_in_education/Excellence_VPA/2015-2016_EVPA_Artwork_Guidelines.pdf. If you are interested in displaying your student artwork, please contact Beth Lambert at 624-6642 or beth.lambert@maine.gov.

 

Great Day for Arts Education

Celebration at the State House

Last week 75 students in grades PK-12 were honored for their accomplishments in visual art and music education. We celebrated in the Hall of Flags in Maine’s State House. We are honored to have the First Lady Ann LePage as a partner in the Excellence in Visual and Performing Arts Education and to join us in recognizing the students in the ceremony.

Joining the First Lady in the Hall of Flags was Maine Arts Commission Executive Director Julie Richard, State Board of Education Chair Martha Harris, Acting Education Commissioner Bill Beardsley, and Legislators, Mick Devin (Nobleboro) and Martin Grohman (Biddeford).

Students from AOS 93, AOS 92, MSAD 41, and the Biddeford School districts were presented certificates and viewed their artwork on display throughout the State House complex, in the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Department of Education.

Additionally, students from the Waterville High School Jazz Band under the direction of Sue Barre and a select choir under the direction of Ciara Hargrove performed at the ceremony. I know that Sue, Ciara and visual art teachers Lisa Workman, Kate Grant, Suzanne Goulet, and Sasha Bladen are proud of their students’ accomplishments!

This is a first for the State of Maine. The Maine Department of Education and the Maine Arts Commission are collaborating to bring together this exhibit and in celebrating the students and teachers in a ceremony. I am sooooo excited that this is happening for Maine’s students and teachers!

It is a pleasure to work with Maine’s DOE Visual and Performing Arts Specialist, Beth Lambert on the Excellence in Maine Visual and Performing Arts Education exhibit and celebration ceremony.

If you have questions or are interested in participating, please contact Beth at beth.lambert@maine.gov or me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

Photo credits to the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Arts Commission.

 

Celebrating Student Artists

Hall of Flags – Friday, December 4

 

The Maine Department of Education and the Maine Arts Commission are holding a celebration of Excellence in Maine Visual and Performing Arts Education hosted by First Lady, Ann LePage, December 4, in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta. Joining the First Lady are State Board of Education Chair Martha Harris, and Maine Arts Commission Executive Director Julie Richards, and Acting Education Commissioner Bill Beardsley. Legislators, Mick Devin (Nobleboro) and Martin Grohman (Biddeford) will also be present to recognize students from their districts.

The Excellence in Maine Visual and Performing Arts Education is a rotating exhibit that displays artwork throughout the Statehouse Complex and the Department of Education in the Cross Building. Sixty-three students from AOS 93, AOS 92, MSAD 41, and the Biddeford School district will have their artwork displayed through the end of February. Additionally, student musicians from AOS 92 will perform at the celebration. Mrs. LePage will be presenting each student a certificate and a letter from Governor Paul LePage recognizing the talent of Maine students.

Governor LePage’s letter to the students reads in part, “The arts are a vitally important part of any education because it’s the creative thinking that leads to imagining new ways of making things work and improving the world we live in.”

Maine DOE Visual and Performing Arts Specialist Beth Lambert says, “I am so proud of the work Maine arts teachers are doing with our students throughout the state. It is a privilege to have these students come to Augusta and be honored in this way. Arts education is essential for all students in order to gain the skills needed to develop college and career readiness, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity so that Maine kids can succeed in the ever-changing diverse and global economies of today’s world.”

For more information contact, Visual and Performing Arts Specialist Beth Lambert at beth.lambert@maine.gov or 624-6642.

 

 

 

MYEA

Mark your Calendars and Start Saving Student Art Work!

The Maine Arts Commission, in partnership with the First Lady of Maine Ann LePage, will be issuing a call for student art for inclusion in the 2016 Annual Maine Youth Excellence in Art exhibition at the State Capitol Complex in Augusta.

The request to participate will start on September 8^th 2015, with the cutoff date of October 16^th 2015. Art teachers from public, private and parochial schools in Maine will be invited to submit one piece of two-dimensional artwork that represents artistic excellence from a K-12 student.

Maine Youth Excellence in Art

Congratulations students and teachers

Students whose art work is part of the Maine Youth Excellence in Art exhibit, sponsored by the Maine Art Commission, were recognized today at a ceremony with First Lady Ann LePage. Julie Horn from the Maine Arts Commission opened the program by gathering students for a photograph on the steps in the Hall of Flags of the State House. Julie Richard, Maine Arts Commission Executive Director and Charles Stanhope, Chair of the Commission joined the First Lady in congratulating the students, parents, and art teachers.

Students and their teachers are listed below. The exhibit is throughout the State House complex and will remain until May 15. Please stop by and enjoy the outstanding exhibit.

• Samantha Arenault, Chewonki Semester School, Art teacher Sue West
• Ruth Brosey, Wayne Elementary School, Art teacher Betsy Allen-McPhedran
• Emerson Brown, David J. Lyons Washburn District Elementary, Art teacher Beth Ann Walker
• Emily Butler, David J. Lyons Washburn District Elementary, Art teacher Beth Ann Walker
• Hayden Camfferman, Mt. Blue Middle School, Art teacher Danielle Guerrette
• Adam Christianson, Swans Island School, Art teacher Chandra Cousins-Raymond
• Eli Clein, Bangor High School, Art teacher Kal Elmore
• Caitlyn Duffy, Gorham High School, Art teacher Sarah Dolley
• Sophia Esch, Kennebunkport Consolidated School, Art teacher Audrey Grumbling
• Kate Friberg, Cape Elizabeth Middle School, Art teacher Marguerite Lawler-Rohner
• Whitney Frost, Poland Regional High School, Art teacher Tom Chaisson
• Emily Johnson, Madison Junior High School, Art teacher Lee Harper
• Olivia Joyce, Swans Island School, Art Teacher Chandra Cousins-Raymond
• Ashely Kilgore, Lake Region High School, Art teacher Carmel Collins
• D’Andre Marable, Windsor Elementary School, Art teacher Genevieve Keller
• Deanna Marston, Mountain Valley High School, Art teacher Steven McGinty
• Samantha McGreevy, Granite Street Elementary School, Art teacher Deborah Grabber
• Gavyn Moreshead, SeDoMoCha Middle School, Art teacher Bobbi Tardif
• Christian Munn, Bucksport High School, Art teacher Holly Bertrand
• Rowan Osmer, Fruit Street Elementary School, Art teacher Wendy Libby
• Tiana Poirier, Waterville Senior High School, Art teacher Suzanne Goulet
• Isaiah Sawyer, Trenton Elementary School, Art teacher Connie Barnes
• Samantha White, David J. Lyons Washburn District Elementary, Art teacher Beth Ann Walker
• Ellea Wilson, Monmouth Middle School, Art teacher Mary Pennington
• Claire Wyman, Appleton Village School, Art teacher Anthony Lufkin

There were several legislators in attendance including Senator Brian Langley (in the bottom photo) who represents Senate District 7 and serves as Chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Julie Horn who is responsible for the MYEA program and the other MAC staff who take care of the many details!

Plan Ahead

MYEA

The Maine Arts Commission, in partnership with the First Lady of Maine Ann LePage, will be issuing a call for student art for inclusion in the Spring 2015 Maine Youth Excellence in Art exhibition at the State Capitol Complex in Augusta.

The request to participate will start on December 8^th 2014, with the cutoff date of January 7^th 2015. Art teachers from public, private and parochial schools in Maine will be invited to submit one piece of two-dimensional artwork that represents artistic excellence from a K-12 student.

Maine Youth Excellence in Art

Call for Student Art

Presented by the First Lady of Maine

Ann LePage

In partnership with the Maine Arts Commission

CALL FOR STUDENT ART

Scope:

The Maine Arts Commission, in partnership with the First Lady of Maine Ann LePage, is issuing a call for student art for inclusion in the Spring 2014 Maine Youth Excellence in Art exhibition at the State Capitol Complex in Augusta. Art teachers from public, private and parochial schools in Maine are invited to submit one piece of two-dimensional artwork that represents artistic excellence from a K-12 student. Selected works will hang in various locations including the State House, Cross Office Building (second floor), the Blaine House and the office of the Maine Arts Commission for approximately four months. Selected artists, their families and submitting teachers will be invited to an opening reception at the Blaine House hosted by the First Lady Ann LePage where they will receive recognition for their artistic achievements.

Process:

One piece of 2-D art work may be submitted per school. Each school should have one designated teacher to submit the chosen artwork for that school. The program will exhibit approximately forty-five student works. Selection will be made on a first come, first served basis per Superintendent Region. Five pieces of work will be accepted from each of the nine Superintendent Regions. The regions are as follows:

• Aroostook
• Cumberland County
• Hancock County
• Kennebec County
• Mid Coast
• Penquis
• Washington County
• Western Maine
• York County

If you are unsure of which region your school is located in, please refer to the directory on the Maine Department of Education website or at this link: https://www.medms.maine.gov/medms_public/ReportPortal/ShowReport.aspx?CurrentLocation=%2fPublic+Reports%2fDirectory+of+Maine+Schools%2fPublic+Schools+By+Superintendent+Region

As an added element to this year’s showing we would like to collect a statement from each artist. If the child’s work is selected, we will ask the submitting teacher to provide a brief (one sentence) statement/quote from the student about their thoughts either toward making art in general, or about the specific piece that they are entering. These statements will be printed on each artwork’s label for the public to read. We believe this added element will assist in enlightening the audience about the essential need for art making in providing children with a comprehensive learning experience.

Teachers interested in submitting should e-mail Julie Horn at the Maine Arts Commission with any questions and/or a request to participate in the program. Please use the subject heading “SPRING 2014 MYEA” in your e-mail to Julie at julie.horn@maine.gov.  Your confirmation e-mail will include further instructions and all necessary paperwork. Information is posted on the Maine Arts Commission site at  https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/MYEA#.

Important:

Only two-dimensional artwork will be accepted. Submitted art work must fit the maximum dimension of 18” x 24.” When submitting smaller artwork it has to be mounted on an 18” x 24” mat or poster board. There is a combined maximum thickness of 3/16’’ for artwork and mat together. The artwork can be exhibited vertically or horizontally (please indicate) and will be placed in pre-existing frames. Artwork submitted that does not fulfill these size requirements will be considered ineligible. All artwork must be labeled on the back with the student’s name, school, and grade. Please do not send artwork in cylinders or mailing tubes.

Deadline:

Artwork and paperwork must be received by Friday, December 6, 2013 for consideration in the exhibition.

The Maine Arts Commission assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged artwork.
The Maine Arts Commission reserves the right of final selection and display of all works for this exhibition.

First Lady Ann LePage with 2011 recipient William Zidle from Village Elementary School in Gorham, Maine

           

In Today’s News

Caribou Middle School

Ann LePage at the unveiling of the book at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland. Kevin’s framed artwork is in the background.

Imagine being in 8th grade and you learn not only that your artwork was selected to be in the Love.Read.Learn! Baby Journal that the First Lady Ann LePage published in collaboration with the Barabara Foundation but on top of that your artwork was chosen for the cover?! How cool for Kevin Duplessie! This past week just before students were finished school for the year, the First Lady traveled to the middle school in Caribou to present Kevin with an enlarged framed image of his artwork at a surprise assembly in front of his school community and family members.

I had the chance to meet Kevin and his Dad and grandfather when the student work was on display at the Children’s Museum in Bangor in December. He is a student to watch!

I am certain that every time he views the artwork he will smile! Congratulations to Kevin! Read about the event by clicking here.

Kevin Duplessie, Grade 8, Caribou Middle School

Baby Journal Published

Art teachers with Westbrook Middle School students whose artwork is included in the book

You might remember back in September at the start of the 2012-13 school year the blog post that invited artwork submissions for the First Lady’s Baby book, “Love.Read.Learn!” Baby Journal. From that blog post and information going out to school’s and educators through other avenues there were over 800 pieces submitted for consideration. Every region of the state was represented and students from grades K – 8.

The project was a collaboration with the Barbara Bush Foundation and First Lady Ann LePage. The First Lady arranged the artwork throughout the Blaine House to be scored using a rubric derived from the AP rubric. First Lady Ann LePage, Becky Dyer from the Barbara Bush Foundation, and art teachers Lynne Shulman and Kathy Smith and I met at the Blaine House to score the artwork. It was great to share our love of teaching with both Becky and the First Lady. And a blog post announced the work selected.

Barbara Bush and Ann LePage at presentation of the book

A couple weeks ago I was invited to the unveiling of the book as it was presented to three new moms. Two of the students whose artwork was selected for the book (out of the 32), from Westbrook Middle School along with their teachers, principal, and their parents were in attendance as well.

I was so proud to see the completed book and all the students who submitted work. I know that the First Lady and Barbara Bush were inspired by the student work and dream of the possibilities. During the next year the book will be presented to new parents at each hospital in Maine. A great day for art education!

All the artwork published is at this link which is located on the front page of the meartsed blog.